


If You Need Me You Can Find Me

by Actual_Dunwich_Horror



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Fluff, Getting Together, Goalie Nesting (Hockey RPF), Grubi just loves taking care of Frankie, M/M, Nesting, POV Alternating, and Frankie is extremely cuddly, they both are nesting at the same time!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:37:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22689520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Actual_Dunwich_Horror/pseuds/Actual_Dunwich_Horror
Summary: Grubi goes into nesting and chooses Frankie as his nesting partner. It's uncommon for a goalie to choose another goalie as their nesting partner.Frankie goes into nesting... while Grubi is nesting. It's EXTREMELY uncommon for two goalies to nest at the same time. Somehow, the two Avs goaltenders make it work.
Relationships: Pavel Francouz/Philipp Grubauer
Comments: 11
Kudos: 107
Collections: 2 Hots: #boysarehot Avs Valentines 2020 fic challenge





	If You Need Me You Can Find Me

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [heartequals (savvygambols)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/savvygambols/pseuds/heartequals) in the [2hots](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/2hots) collection. 

> This is all fictional, etc. etc.
> 
> Goalie nesting is my absolute favorite trope!!! I was so excited to write this, and I had so much fun trying to write from the pov of a goalie who's in the middle of nesting. Excuse the constant shifting between povs, there's just a lot going on in both of their heads and I wanted to make sure to cover it all! Thanks to Rach for the beta! Title is from Alligator Sky by Owl City. Enjoy!

Grubi wasn’t sure what caused it.

_ It  _ just so happened to be the familiar tug in his chest, the way his head began to grow foggy as he stood in his crease. They were in the middle of a game, and luckily the haze in his mind seemed to momentarily lift whenever anything got close to the net; but anger bubbled up in his chest at the thought of letting anything get past him.

Of  _ course _ he was going to start nesting. It didn’t usually happen without warning, and it  _ definitely  _ never happened during a game, but Grubi kept himself calm, trying to stay focused for as long as he could. 

He managed to keep the Avs afloat, at least, winning the game by a good margin. As he tapped helmets with his teammates, he waited, wondering a bit anxiously who he’d chosen to be his nesting partner. It was always Burky back in Washington, so maybe it’d be the same in Colorado.

As Burky came up, he waited for the tugging in his chest to intensify, but… it stayed the same.

Grubi just brushed it off, wondering who he’d choose instead. He was definitely not prepared, though, when Frankie came up and hugged him, and Grubi suddenly felt like he’d just gotten the wind knocked out of him. He’d chosen to nest with  _ Frankie _ ?

He wasn’t disappointed, just very, very surprised. It was pretty rare for a goalie to choose to nest with another goalie. When it happened, though, it was usually the backup who went into nesting, not the starter. It didn’t help that Grubi had started to become quite…  _ fond _ of his backup. So really, the whole thing was a bit shocking for several reasons.

As they skated off the ice, Grubi tapped Frankie’s pads, leaning over and saying, “I need to talk to you in the hallway. It’s important.”

Frankie’s brows furrowed for a moment, then relaxed. “Okay. Everything alright?”

“I think so.”

Once they were alone outside the locker room, Grubi took his helmet off with a sigh. “I’m going to start nesting soon.”

“How soon?”

“Probably sometime tonight.”

Frankie stayed quiet, thinking. “Who’d you choose?”

“That’s--that’s the thing,” Grubi said, looking down at the floor. “I--I chose you.”

“Okay,” Frankie said, resting a hand on Grubi’s shoulder. “What do I need to do?”

“Come home with me. Only if you’re comfortable with it. You don’t--”

“I can do that. It’s alright. I’ll be okay.”

“You’re sure?” Grubi looked at Frankie incredulously.

“I’m sure. I never thought I’d be a nesting partner since I’m a goalie, but… I don’t mind. We’ll tell Gabe and Bedsy together, alright?”

“Alright.” 

Grubi wasn’t too surprised about Frankie acting so calm about the whole thing; if anything, it was a relief. Frankie was never the kind of guy to make a big deal out of things, and it was refreshing. Plus, he’s a  _ goalie _ . He should be able to handle a nesting starter pretty well.

Once they’d gotten back into the locker room, Frankie helped Grubi out of his pads (it grew increasingly difficult for him to focus, so Frankie’s help was much appreciated, even if it made Grubi blush a little) and once they were both out of their gear, Frankie pulled Gabe and Bednar aside. Bednar led them to his office, gesturing for the two goalies to sit down. Grubi sucked in a nervous breath as he sat down, but Frankie shot him a soothing smile, which Grubi returned as well as he could.

“So, Grubi’s about to go into nesting,” Frankie said, reaching over and patting Grubi’s arm. “And… he chose me as his nesting partner.”

“I’m sorry, I know it’s inconvenient, but--” Grubi began, but was quickly cut off.

“There’s no need to apologize,” Bednar said. “This isn’t something in your control and I understand that. Luckily, we’ve got two good goalies in Loveland that we can bring up. No need to worry, alright?”

Grubi heaved a long sigh and nodded. Frankie could tell he wasn’t happy about the whole thing, especially since the team was doing so well. “Alright.”

Gabe laid a hand on Frankie’s shoulder. “Don’t hesitate to let me know if either of you need anything, okay? The team’s here for you.”

Both goalies nodded gratefully. Grubi was thankful for how caring his captain was; that wasn’t something you saw on every team.

The drive to Grubi’s house was mostly quiet; Frankie asked a few questions about Grubi’s nesting process, wanting to make sure that he took good care of him, but otherwise, they sat in a comfortable silence. Grubi’s mind was becoming foggier by the minute, and pretty soon he would be in full-on nesting mode. Frankie was honestly a bit nervous; he was afraid of mistreating his starter, even though he knew that Grubi trusted him. Why else would he have chosen him?

Frankie chose not to dwell too much on  _ why _ .

Once they reached the house, Grubi made a beeline for the door, Frankie following behind him. He wanted to make sure that there was enough time for him to explain to Frankie where things are, how he nested. He fumbled with his keys, trying to unlock the door, but it felt like the doorknob moved every time he tried to insert the key. 

“Hey, remind me what you like to eat when you nest,” Frankie said quietly, gently taking the keys from him and unlocking the door. He ran a hand along his starter’s back soothingly, guiding him into the house.

Frankie locked the door behind them once they were inside, and Grubi immediately began to strip off his suit right there in the living room. “It’s--very close. Want to make things easy for you.”

The fact that Grubi wanted to make his nesting  _ easier for Frankie  _ was a lot to take in. Frankie knew it should’ve been the other way around, but he was flattered nonetheless. If anything, it made him feel a bit flustered. “Let’s get you to your room first, okay? It’ll be easier that way.” Frankie smiled and returned his hand to the small of Grubi’s back, allowing him to lead the way to his room.

Frankie helped him get changed into some comfier clothes, and Grubi made a noise when he noticed that Frankie was still in his suit. “Maybe… you wear some of my clothes?” He said slowly, trying to speak as clearly as he could. He  _ really _ wanted to see Frankie in his clothes, and maybe that wasn’t  _ just _ his nesting brain speaking.

“Okay,” Frankie replied, taking a shirt and a pair of sweats from Grubi’s drawer. Unfolding the shirt, he noticed the Hershey Bears logo emblazoned on the front. Something in Frankie’s chest fluttered fondly at the sight of it, knowing that that was Grubi’s AHL team as much as the Eagles were his own.

He went in the en suite to change, relishing the fact that he was wearing _Grubi’s clothes_, and when he came out, Grubi was fast at work getting his nest together. He’d gathered the pillows and blankets from the bed together in a disorganized heap and his closet was open; Frankie noticed that it contained several stacks of _even_ _more _blankets and pillows. Most goalies had a stash like that in case of nesting, but Grubi’s was particularly large. He was probably in for a long few days of cuddling. (Not that that would be a problem, of course.)

Once Grubi had gotten every single blanket and pillow from the closet onto the bed, he moved to the bottom drawer of his dresser and scooped the contents up into his arms, dropping it all on the bed. At first glance, it just looked like a bunch of random shirts, hoodies, and jerseys, but once Frankie took a closer look, he recognized the names, numbers, and teams on them. Grubi had quite the collection, including clothing items from teammates from all throughout his years of playing. Frankie made a note to give Grubi something of his own once this was all said and done; he wouldn’t admit it, but he loved the thought of Grubi nesting while cuddling with one of his jerseys.

Frankie stood and watched as Grubi moved everything around, and it was… quite interesting to watch. There wasn’t exactly an order to how things were arranged, but Grubi seemed to be very particular about the organization of his nest. It didn’t take too long for him to complete, and once he was finished he took Frankie’s hand and stared at him with bright, hopeful eyes, searching for approval.

“It looks great, Gru. Super comfy,” Frankie said with a soft smile, rubbing a thumb over Grubi’s hand. It genuinely looked comfortable and Grubi looked  _ so proud _ , and-- maybe Frankie was a little  _ too  _ excited about this.

Grubi hummed happily and embraced Frankie, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and burying his face in his neck. “Thank you,” he mumbled gratefully. Frankie hugged him back, resting his head on top of Grubi’s.

Suddenly, Frankie felt a sharp tug in his chest, and his head felt like it was spinning.

It caught him off guard, but surely it was nothing. Maybe he just needed to drink some water or something.

The goalies went into the kitchen hand in hand, and Frankie grabbed them two water bottles out of the fridge. He gave one to Grubi, who opened it and chugged half of it immediately, and then cracked open his own bottle.

Even after drinking some water, the dizziness and the sharp feeling was still there. He wasn’t hungry and he didn’t feel sick, so why was this happening?

The goalies went back into Grubi’s room, and Grubi led Frankie to the nest, arranging him how he wanted him. Frankie just let it happen, not wanting to upset the German. 

Grubi threw an arm over Frankie and pulled him close, burying his face in Frankie’s hair. Frankie sighed, relaxed, and leaned into the touch. Everything began to feel floaty and distant and he could feel nothing but Grubi along his back, along with a distinct feeling of  _ need _ in the back of his mind.

Before Frankie could drift off completely, his eyes shot open out of realization; he was about to start nesting too.

This could  _ not  _ be happening at a more inopportune time. Frankie wasn’t all too sure about the specifics of his own nesting aside from that he was apparently very… submissive. And caring.

He supposed that wasn’t the worst combination, but the whole thing still wasn’t ideal. How would Grubi react? Would they be alright? Goalies nesting together wasn’t unheard of, but it was very, very rare. Frankie really hoped that they’d be okay, and he’d be lying if he said that he wasn’t nervous about how this would go.

Staying as calm as he could, he reached out to grab his phone from where it was buried in the nest, and texted Gabe.

_ Gabe theres a bit of an issue. Everything is going to be ok though. _

_ What’s wrong??? Do I need to come over?  _ Gabe replied almost instantly.

_ No its okay. I’m going into nesting too. Just letting you know in case you try to reach me and i don’t answer _

_ What??? I’ll come over tomorrow. I don’t know how safe it is to let two nesting goalies be by themselves. _

A wave of protectiveness washed over Frankie and he furrowed his brow, tensing up as he texted back.

_ Better not. Shouldn’t mess with goalies when they’re territorial _

It took Gabe longer to reply this time.

_ Okay. stay safe, alright? We’ll see you in a few days. _

Frankie tossed his phone to the side with a sigh and Grubi lifted his head, looking down at Frankie curiously.

Frankie turned so that he was facing Grubi and smiled reassuringly. He reached up, cupping Grubi’s face in his hand, rubbing a thumb over his cheekbone. “Everything’s alright, Gru. Everything’s gonna be alright.” Frankie couldn’t be  _ entirely  _ sure, but he wanted to make sure Grubi knew, even if he wasn’t completely  _ there. _

Grubi hummed softly, leaning into Frankie’s touch. “I know,” he replied, voice barely above a whisper.

Before they fell asleep, Frankie made sure to plug in his phone and turn off the lights, and soon enough he was being lulled to sleep by the rise and fall of Grubi’s chest behind him.

//

Grubi woke to the feeling of being too warm.

It was a good warm. Comforting. He was tired, though, and it took him a moment to realize what was causing the warmth. Eyes still shut, he felt the nest around him and took in the familiar scent of his teammates, current and past.

What was most important, though, was the fact that his nesting partner was there with him. Grubi could feel the other goalie all along his front, the gentle rhythm of his breathing under the arm Grubi had slung over his waist. He tilted his face into Frankie’s neck and inhaled, letting himself be comforted by the smell of his nesting partner. This was good; Frankie was there, as he should be, and he wasn’t going anywhere. They were in the nest, together, and they were safe.

Soon, though, the smaller goalie stirred in Grubi’s arms, causing Grubi to finally blink his eyes open.

He was met with the sight of Frankie looking up at him, unmoving, eyes wide.

Frankie soon pulled away, turning to face Grubi, and the two goalies stared at one another. 

Frankie wasn’t exactly happy at the moment. He woke up surrounded by unfamiliar scents in an unfamiliar nest. The only thing that was keeping him from breaking down was the warmth radiating off of Grubi and the dull thrum in his chest signifying that his nesting partner was  _ right there  _ with him.

Still, he was nesting, and he was thrown off by his new, unfamiliar surroundings. It’s not his fault that he was a little scared.

Grubi reached up, placing a gentle hand on Frankie’s face. The Czech flinched slightly at the sudden touch, but relaxed almost immediately. He was still trembling slightly under Grubi’s palm, and that caused the larger goalie to become concerned. Frankie wasn’t supposed to be scared. That was bad.

He made a humming noise deep in his throat, furrowing his eyebrows as he tried to figure out what was wrong with his nesting partner. Frankie continued to watch him with wide eyes, tracking his every move like he was afraid that he’d leave. Grubi smiled at him, running a hand through his short hair reassuringly, and sat up. He began readjusting the nest, hoping that fixing it would help Frankie calm down.

It didn’t work, though, because Frankie began making little high pitched whimpering noises that absolutely broke Grubi’s heart. That wasn’t a good sound, not a good expression on Frankie’s face. It was hard for him to process why Frankie was feeling this way. He had a big warm nest, Grubi was there, what else could he need?

Suddenly, Grubi’s mind made a connection. Frankie wasn’t acting normally, he wasn’t talking or trying to guide Grubi; Frankie needed to be taken care of. He was scared because he wasn’t in his  _ own  _ nest, but  _ Grubi’s  _ nest. The thought of having to move to another nest that wasn’t his own made Grubi a bit anxious, but he wanted Frankie to be happy. He’d need to find a way to compromise.

Digging through the nest, Grubi began pulling out certain jerseys and shirts and sniffing them, looking for specific scents.

Soon enough, he had a pile and began placing the articles around Frankie, making a mini sort of nest around the other goalie.

Once Frankie was hit with a few more familiar scents, he began to calm down a bit more. There were a few that particularly made him happy; there was a Kaut shirt in there as well as Werner’s jersey, along with several of Grubi’s own clothes. He grabbed one of Grubi’s practice jerseys and cuddled it to his chest, slowly sitting up and looking around Grubi’s room cautiously. 

Grubi sat back on the bed next to Frankie and reached out hesitantly, chirping questioningly at him. Frankie’s eyes softened and he instinctively scooted so that he could lean into Grubi’s side, taking in his warmth. The feel of Frankie underneath his arm made Grubi calm down too; he was a little  _ too  _ close to having a meltdown.

He slowly guided the two of them off the bed and out of the nest, hoping to show Frankie around his surroundings and trying to convey that he was safe. Frankie went along willingly, but kept himself plastered to Grubi’s side. Grubi didn’t mind; he was venturing out of the nest, which wasn’t ideal, but having Frankie right there made it easier.

The two goalies slowly made their way around Grubi’s house without any problems. When they got back to the bedroom, Frankie made a sort of gasping noise and rushed into the en suite, closing the door behind him. Grubi  _ almost _ panicked at Frankie rushing away so soon, but the rational part of his brain kicked in and he realized exactly  _ where  _ Frankie went.

He came out a moment later and immediately got back in the nest, curling up in the part that Grubi set aside for him. He looked up at Grubi, who was still standing on the other side of the bed, and chirruped at him questioningly. 

Grubi took the hint and smiled, climbing into the nest beside Frankie and wrapping an arm around him, pulling him close. Frankie leaned up to press a kiss to Grubi’s jaw and then nuzzled his face affectionately into Grubi’s chest. He was content now; he knew he was in a safe place. He was in Grubi’s space, and the thought made him happy. He wanted Grubi to be happy. 

//

Nesting for the two goalies went surprisingly well.

They mostly stuck to the nest, sleeping or cuddling. Grubi loved the feel of Frankie in his arms, knowing that he was content and warm and safe, and he occasionally left the nest to make sure the house was safe too. In return, Frankie loved the feel of Grubi wrapped around him. It was like a safety blanket; the pressure around his body was comforting, and he knew that in a way, he was taking care of Grubi. That was Frankie’s priority when he nested; keeping his partner happy.

Once in a while they would venture outside the nest for food, only realizing how hungry they were when one of their stomachs grumbled rather loudly.

They had a few rough patches, mainly whenever Grubi left the nest without Frankie or when Frankie wouldn’t move to Grubi’s liking. Despite the fog surrounding their minds, they were able to problem-solve, and it went much smoother than either of them could have consciously predicted.

This was good. They’d only been nesting for two full days, but they managed to cooperate well as nesting partners, and it helped to shorten their nesting time.

On the third day, Grubi woke up with a slight headache. It wasn’t horrible; drinking water and eating something would probably help, but it was still a bit unideal. He also happened to be very hot and his joints felt stiff, but that was easy to fix.

He blinked his eyes open to find Frankie cradled in his arms, surrounded by their nest.

Right. They’d been nesting. And he was finally waking up.

Grubi slowly released his hold on Frankie, trying not to wake him. He wasn’t sure if his backup was still nesting and he didn’t want to upset him. He wasn’t entirely sure how to deal with a distressed nesting goalie.

He scooted away from Frankie and sat up, removing the blankets and jerseys that covered him. He must’ve jostled the bed a little too much, though, because he heard a noise similar to a squeak and turned to find Frankie very much awake, looking up at him with a frown on his face.

“Oh,” Grubi sighed, “Pavel. You’re awake?”

Frankie whined deep in his throat and reached out to tug on Grubi’s hand, trying to coax him back into the nest. Frankie was definitely  _ not  _ done nesting, it seemed.

_ That’s okay, _ Grubi thought to himself,  _ I can take care of him. He offered to do the same for me.  _ Grubi had to take a moment to take it all in, though; he was about to spend the next day or so  _ taking care of  _ and  _ cuddling  _ the man that he had feelings for. It was a lot to process.

“Hey, let’s get in the shower, okay? We’ve been in the nest for a while,” he eventually said, gently rubbing Frankie’s arm.

It took some time to convince Frankie that it was okay to leave the nest, but Grubi wasn’t surprised. Frankie was most likely a little startled at Grubi’s change in behavior.

Once they were in the shower, though, things went smoothly. It wasn’t as awkward as Grubi thought; after all, they’d seen each other naked in the showers and the locker room  _ plenty  _ of times. Frankie let Grubi wash him, and as much as Grubi didn’t want to admit it, he loved every moment of it. Frankie purred loudly as Grubi scrubbed his hair, and it was almost  _ too  _ cute. When they got out, though, he scrunched his face up as Grubi toweled him off, eliciting a small laugh from the larger goalie.

Grubi let them lay in the nest for a bit once they were clean, but soon made them get up again so that they could eat something.

After rummaging around, Grubi settled on cooking some pasta. Frankie didn’t leave his side the whole time, watching curiously. Grubi didn’t mind. He smiled and explained what he was doing in a soft voice, even though Frankie most likely didn’t understand what he was saying.

Once they sat down to eat, Frankie ignored his food and continued to stare at Grubi with his wide, relaxed eyes. Grubi just sighed and scooted closer to Frankie, scooping up a forkful of pasta and holding it up to Frankie’s mouth. Luckily, he understood what that meant, and accepted the food.

They both ate and eventually went back into the nest, and Grubi decided to check his phone. He plucked it off the charger on his bedside table and turned it on, several notifications immediately popping up on his screen.

Without warning, Frankie suddenly flung himself on top of Grubi, knocking the wind out of him. Grubi was startled at first, but quickly became compliant when Frankie angrily smacked the phone out of his hand, huffing angrily.

“Whoa, okay, sorry,” Grubi grunted underneath Frankie’s weight. He felt himself go a bit warm at the feel of having Frankie’s body plastered along his own.“Phone isn’t important. I’ll pay attention to you, okay?”

Frankie furrowed his eyebrows and stared at Grubi rather suspiciously. Grubi needed to calm him down, and quick, so he reached up and ran a hand through Frankie’s hair, resting his hand at the back of his neck. Using his thumb, he brushed the short hair at the base of Frankie’s neck, and he relaxed into Grubi’s touch. The rather intense look on his face softened, and he soon fell back into his relaxed, calm gaze.

“That’s better. See? I’m here,” Grubi cooed at him.

Satisfied, Frankie buried his face in the side of Grubi’s neck, closing his eyes and breathing in Grubi’s scent. Grubi took a deep breath (which was mildly difficult with the Frankie on top of him) and relaxed into the nest. He would’ve been lying if he said that he wasn’t enjoying this.

His eyes began to slip shut, when out of nowhere, Frankie nipped at the junction between his neck and his shoulder, causing him to jump.

He opened his mouth to say something, his cheeks feeling  _ very  _ red, but Frankie nuzzled his face into his chest and began purring rather loudly, so Grubi just sighed and let himself be lulled to sleep.

//

The two goalies slept for most of the day, only getting up to use the bathroom and to make food. Grubi was still feeling somewhat groggy from sleeping so much and he preferred not to cook again, but he didn’t want to order in, as he wasn’t sure how Frankie would respond around strangers.

In the end, they made things work.

Once it hit nighttime, Grubi felt pretty much awake, but Frankie was dozing off and on, often readjusting himself and Grubi to his liking. Grubi didn’t mind, though. Cuddles were cuddles, and Frankie’s cuddles were particularly adorable.

Frankie laid with his head pillowed on Grubi’s chest, not quite asleep but not quite awake, eyes lightly fluttering shut then back open every once in a while. He had a fist in Grubi’s shirt and kept making little content noises every now and then, and it was cute enough to make Grubi think about Frankie outside of nesting; he was honestly enjoying this a lot, and he was definitely going to miss it once his nesting period was over. But… what if this didn’t have to stop?

Grubi had feelings for Frankie before, but this whole nesting thing only amplified it. He loved getting the chance to take care of Frankie and hold him as close as he wanted without judgement. He had no idea if Frankie felt the same way, and he wasn’t sure if Frankie chose him as his nesting partner out of necessity or what, but… Grubi wanted to ask.

//

Sometime late into the night Grubi managed to fall back asleep, but he was woken up early in the morning to a sudden groan and a weight quite literally being lifted off his chest.

“Frankie?” Grubi stifled a yawn as he reached out for the smaller man.

“I’m here,” Frankie replied, rubbing his eyes. Realization hit Grubi like a train, and he scrambled to sit up. Frankie was looking at him, his usual calm expression seeming much more… awake, than before. Grubi couldn’t help the grin that spread on his face, and he quickly tugged Frankie into a hug.

“You’re back!”

Frankie just laughed, a small, soft thing, and returned the hug. They sat like that a little longer than they should’ve, before Frankie pulled away and grabbed Grubi’s arms, eyes widening suddenly.

“Wait, you’re back too!”

“I know!”

“How long have we been out for?” Frankie asked, reaching for his phone on the nightstand. He scrunched up his face as soon as he turned it on, which did not seem like a good sign.

“We were out for three whole days,” he said. “Not bad, but not ideal.”

“Well…” Grubi started. He wasn’t sure how to break it lightly. “ _ You  _ nested for three days. I only nested for two… I woke up before you.”

Frankie hummed, then nodded, understanding. “That’s alright. At least I had you there then, huh?”

“I guess you got a bit lucky,” Grubi replied with a smile.

Now that they were both awake, they took turns showering and Grubi lent some clothes to Frankie, then quickly whipped out his phone and orderdered brunch for them.

They ate in comfortable silence, sitting in Grubi’s front room and watching recaps from some of the games they nested through.

“Have you talked to Gabe?” Frankie asked suddenly.

Grubi grimaced. “Not yet. I should probably at least text him… I was going to do it yesterday, but  _ someone  _ decided to knock the phone out of my hands and cuddle me to death.” He shot a grin at Frankie, cheeks going a bit warm.

Luckily, Frankie laughed, his own face going a bit pink. “Oh really?”

“You decided that my phone was evil. It was adorable--” Grubi stopped himself suddenly.  _ Adorable  _ wasn’t the word he’d meant to use.

“I’ve heard that I’m pretty cute when I nest,” Frankie shrugged, seeming not to mind what Grubi said. “I’m clingy too, so I’m not surprised. Sorry if it was too much.”

“You could never be too much. Not to me.” Grubi internally facepalmed. His brain-to-mouth filter must have been broken that day, even though he knew what he said was true. He was just… afraid of overstepping.

The look Frankie gave him was a soft one; all of his expressions were soft, but this one was more… fond. It sent butterflies through Grubi’s stomach.

“I appreciate that, Philipp. And… the same goes for you.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“I--” Grubi was quickly cut off by Frankie’s hand lightly touching the back of his own, testing the waters, like he was afraid of scaring Grubi off. If anything, it made Grubi feel like a magnet was tugging in his chest, wanting to be close to Frankie.

“Is this okay?” He asked, voice soft.

“It’s-- it’s more than okay.” Grubi said, turning his hand so that Frankie’s fingers ghosted along his palm.

Intertwining their fingers, Frankie released a breath and asked, “Is it okay if I kiss you?”

Grubi beamed at Frankie. “Yes,” he replied, voice barely above a whisper. Nothing felt real to Grubi just then; it was like he was in a dream.

Frankie leaned in, eyes fluttering shut, and Grubi met him halfway, brushing their lips together.

It was a small kiss, feather soft and only lasting for a moment, but it made Grubi feel like electricity was running through his body.

As they pulled apart, Frankie gave a small laugh and it sounded like music to Grubi’s ears. “You’re cute, you know.”

He felt the tips of his ears go red. “You’re cuter,” Grubi countered. 

“You should kiss me again.”

Grubi grinned, cupping Frankie’s face in his hands and pressed a longer, deeper kiss to his lips, shuttering slightly as Frankie wrapped his arms around his waist.

//

“Maybe… we should talk about this.”

The two goalies were back in Grubi’s bed, unclothed, the contents of the nest scattered onto the floor. Grubi was still trying to catch his breath and Frankie was aimlessly trailing a finger along Grubi’s abdomen.

“We should,” Grubi agreed.

“I’ve wanted this for a while, and… I really hope it’s more than just a one time thing, but I’ll understand if that’s what you want it to be.”

Grubi leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of Frankie’s head reassuringly. He was  _ so  _ glad that Frankie was on the same page as him. “I’ve wanted it too. It--it would make me so happy if we could be more.”

Frankie smiled and nuzzled into Grubi’s side affectionately. It was a gesture that Grubi became used to throughout Frankie’s nesting, but now that he was doing it  _ consciously _ … well, it made the butterflies in Grubi’s stomach go  _ wild _ .

“Let me take you on a date,” Grubi said, smiling down at him.

Frankie hummed. “I’d love that. Such a gentleman.”

“I guess we did things kind of backwards, didn’t we?”

“We did,” Frankie agrees, “but I wouldn’t have it any other way. We’re goalies; we’re supposed to do things differently.

That earned a laugh from the German. “You’re right. Either way, I’m happy with how things turned out.” He cuddled Frankie closer to himself, burying his face in his hair. Despite their nesting being over, he still wanted to hold Frankie as close to him as possible, and he felt happy and reassured when Frankie snuggled in closer, humming as he did so.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!!! Comments and kudos are much appreciated.
> 
> I'm always down to chat about nesting!!! Find me on tumblr @trans-parayko or on twitter @GreatSaveGrubi!


End file.
